The imaginal stage of the library: from cocoon to butterfly

Wingate Gray, Sara (2013) The imaginal stage of the library: from cocoon to butterfly. UNSPECIFIED, GBR. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Libraries are caught up in a values war of the 21st century. Today's landscape, awash with technology, as well as war, attrition, peace, censorship, freedom and understanding, marks just the beginning phases, and as such, the concept of "library" is undergoing a transition. Change is often difficult sometimes more so for institutions grounded in centuries of human culture and tradition. My research investigates the philosophies and values attached to the "library", exploring its "animus" or "soul" as Aristotle might say; by examining stages of library development through space and time I hope to understand better what a future vision of the 21st century "library" might be. While reading "A Philosophy of Librarianship" (1949) in my garden this summer, a butterfly landed. It struck me as an apt metaphor: "butterfly" in ancient Greek meaning "soul" or "mind" a future vision of the "library"'s full life-cycle: spreading its wings anew.

Item Type:	Audio/visual resource
Additional Information:	© 2013 Sara Wingate Gray
Divisions:	LSE
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date Deposited:	20 Mar 2013 14:32
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2023 18:00
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/49291

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